Food Stamp Challenge (Day 1)

Today was the first day of the SNAP Food Stamp Challenge with The Non Consumer Advocate. You can see my first post on this series to see the rules of the challenge. Since I shop by stocking my pantry and then eating what we have on had along with purchasing fresh items each week, I decided it would be easier if I calculated the cost of each meal. Since what I purchase at the store other than fresh items may not be eaten for a while.

Breakfast Breakdown

The kids each had toast with peanut butter and jam, a scrambled egg and a half bowl of oatmeal. The total for each meal $.36 each so a total of $.72
My husband’s breakfast toast with peanut butter and jam with water $.21
My breakfast was toast with peanut butter and jam and a yogurt $.41

Dinner Breakdown

Beef and Celery over Egg Noodles with Salad and homemade salad dressing. We also added half a plum for each person and a slice of banana.

Dessert was 6 mini chocolate pumpkin muffins .

Total cost for dinner with dessert for all 4 of us $3.58

Snacks for the day

I make my kids three snacks a day to eat during the day and if they are hungry before bed they will have some crackers or cereal.

Kids 6 snacks for the day peanut butter and jam sandwich, banana and lunchmeat. $.73 for all 6 snacks.

Cheerios and milk for my daughter before bed $.20 the rest of us did not eat any other snacks today.

Total for Snacks $.93

So I total for today’s food for our household was $8.61 or $2.16 per person.

How I purchase meat and bread

Now most of the items I used to make the meals were on sale as I like to stick to shopping the sales. The meat I purchase are all $2.99 a pound or less. The beef for our dinner was $2.49 a pound and this recipe calls for half a pound. I wait for ground turkey to be on sale at or around the price of $1.67 and then stock up. Most of the chicken I buy, I get from Zaycon Foods for $1.69/lb for boneless skinless chicken breasts. Between sales at Zaycon Foods I will purchase chicken breast bone in for $.99/lb or boneless for $1.99/lb when on sale and whole chicken for $.79/lb or less. I will buy a whole pork tenderloin at a time at Costco or at Safeway when it is on sale between $1.99/lb to $2.19/lb and cut it up into pork roasts and pork chops and freeze. All of these measures help to keep my meat prices low.

I also purchase organic whole wheat bread for our family on Saturdays at our local Franz Bread Store for $.80 a loaf. I get hot dog buns and hamburger bun on sale for less than $1 each normally and make most of our other bread type items myself at home.

How much does it cost per person, per day to feed your family? Are you below $4 a day per person?

Hi Shelly, I really like how you keep your breakfasts simple and yet filling. I’m a big fan of oatmeal, and my kids usually eats cereal or waffles.

I think it depends on what we are eating as to whether or not we spend less than $4 per person to eat that day. We spend around $1,000 per month on groceries. Yikes! But we are a family of 7 with growing children that have ever increasing appetites, we juice, and we don’t have a garden (not that we don’t want one, but in our area, I don’t think it’s going to happen). We also buy a lot of organic stuff, which even on sale isn’t as cheap as the non-organic. 🙁

I like to keep weekday breakfast simple to keep me sane. With getting ready to homeschool, checking my blog and e-mail in the morning along with getting ready it is so full that I just need a simple easy meal to make. On occasion we do have biscuits or pancakes but usually we have pancakes and waffles or muffins on the weekends.

You are right Sandra, it sure does depend on what you are eating whether you can keep your food bill under $4 a person a day. Having our garden provides us with a lot of food and the local closeout store is something that really keeps our food budget low. We do eat organic but only when it is on sale. I am so thankful that our closeout store has organic items on a fairly regular basis and even Fred Meyer has organic soy milk that is less expensive than the regular soy milk.

I don’t think $1000 a month for a family of 7 who eat organic and juices is really quite good. You are only spending $4.76 a person a day, so you are really doing well.